This morning, the sun was shining a tad bit brighter for the Saudi women. After a long struggle and protest, Saudi Arabia finally declared to uplift the ban on women’s driving. The demise of this longstanding unjust policy has shown a ray of hope for the women living in the country.
In a media event held in Washington, it was announced that the change will be effective from June 2018. The main influencing factor in taking the decision was the country’s current reputation in the international platform which also affects their economy. The decision was made in hopes for active participation of women in workplaces to expand their economy.
There were several incidents in past were women protesting against this ban were arrested. Some extreme measures like terminating them from their jobs were also taken against the protesters. The Saudi officials issued many justifications for the ban over the years. Some statements include the concern for Saudi men who would not know how to handle a woman sitting next to him in a car. Some even tried to justify this embargo, using points from the Shariah law as reference.